bachelor
bachelor Lexical Profile
bachelor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A man who is not and has never been married.
"After living as a bachelor in a small studio apartment for ten years, he decided to buy a larger house."
A person of either sex who holds a first or undergraduate degree awarded by a college or university.
"The university ceremony formally recognized each new Bachelor of Science before the gathered faculty."
A mature male animal, especially a fur seal or horned ungulate, that does not have a mate or territory during the breeding season.
"Young male seals often gather in bachelor herds along the rocky periphery of the main breeding colony."
In the Middle Ages, a young knight of the lowest rank who served under the standard of another knight or lord.
"The young bachelor proved his valor during the tournament and earned the right to bear his own banner."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to an academic qualification, use the possessive form with an apostrophe (e.g., "a bachelor's degree" or "a Bachelor of Arts"), whereas the plural "bachelors" without an apostrophe refers to multiple unmarried men or degree holders.
• Rhymes for bachelor
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French bacheler, meaning a young squire or knight in training, from Medieval Latin baccalarius (a farmhand or vassal farmer). In the 13th century, medieval universities adopted the term to denote a student who had completed the lowest level of academic degree.